Just to clarify, I was intending to purely address the “full ride” part of a scholarship program, which is a reference to the costs it covers. Obviously if there are other benefits to a scholarship program in question besides the costs it covers (and obviously this can be true of some scholarship programs that are not full rides, like say the Monroe Scholars program at W&M), it is reasonable to consider those as well.
You can use extra schedule space for additional in-major electives to help you gain more breadth and depth within your field. Or you can add courses in some other subjects that could be career helpful (e.g. economics, sociology of work, statistics and data science, etc.). Or take courses in anything that interests you.
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I don’t think it’s necessary to add official double majors, minors, or certificates to an undergraduate program (speaking from experience…having done that). But I would urge you to look at college beyond a utilitarian means to an end. There are a few reasons why:
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College is one of those rare occasions when you will be able to study almost any subject with experts and have an engaged group of peers to discuss that subject, and to have no major responsibilities (like a full-time job) to distract you from exploring all that you are curious about. So if you’re interested in conspiracy theories regarding UFOs, or how French film from the 60s influenced movie-making around the world, or about the fall of the Roman empire, or about what the topography tells you about an area while you’re on a road trip, or why two political candidates with very similar platforms get very different responses from their communications…this is your chance to dabble in an array of subjects just for the pure joy of it! If there aren’t any topics that you’re particularly curious about, ask some upperclassmen about their favorite instructors and take a class with those professors. Great professors can make pretty much any subject a blast to learn about.
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College is a time of social maturation and presents the opportunity to build strong networks. Think about your own friendships from high school. How close would you be with people that you only spent two years with in comparison to people you were friends with the whole four years? Think about all that time hanging out together and strengthening those bonds (and working on conflict resolution skills) that you would miss out on if leaving college early. I suspect that people will be more likely to use their own social capital on people that they are closer with (which often has a direct relationship to the amount of time they have spent with those people) than on those for whom they have not had as in-depth of a relationship with.
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There is a great deal of brain maturation that occurs between the late teens to early twenties, particularly for individuals assigned male at birth. I suspect that a lot of employers think that a 22-year old employee might fit into their work culture better than a 20-year old employee, and teamwork is a key component of most professional jobs, which is why they want someone who is a good “fit” for their current culture. So although it’s not impossible that you would get a wonderful full-time job after two years in college, I suspect that you would have a harder time getting a job at that point than if you were a couple of years older.
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I’m not questioning the fact that college is useful beyond utilitarian means. I completely agree with that. I’m the first person in my family going to college.
I’m trying not to overwhelm my schedule too much as I know ChemE is already challenging, and that participating in internships, co-ops, and research is important and time consuming too.
I’ve mentioned that I’m not too worried if I don’t transfer all my credits seamlessly, and that graduating as quickly as possible is not really a top priority of mine. I will also be closer to 22 years old even if I graduate in two years due to some other circumstances anyway.
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Why do you need to double major or minor ?
The problem with graduating so quickly is that you won’t have as good a chance to intern. It will be tough with only one summer and job outcomes for non interns are typically not as good. BU actually provides a stat that shows this.
Also the final two years at Michigan are $4k or so more than the first two.
Is that something you’ve accounted for ?
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This is more so if I go to NC State. As I mentioned, it may be necessary in order for me to have enough credit hours to be considered a full time student.
This is true, and not surprising. In some ways my circumstance is more so like that of a transfer (2-3 years to graduate). This is why my post is inquiring about which school should be a better pick when considering opportunities in career, research, and networking as I know I may have less time there.
Yes, I am aware of this.
," so I do not intend to stay at either school for the full four years" .
Engineering doesn’t work this way. Even with your extra credits which a lot of them might not transfer but you might be in an unique situation.
What your dismissing is an internship or two in engineering which should easily net you and be on the plus side of the equation at Michigan. But also don’t count on it since my sons engineering internship got canceled due to covid.
Also you can just work for the university and probably make more money working 10-15 hours a week. Even if it’s not work study they will still give you time off to study and take tests. Ask my son the Ref for intermural sports or working for the school of innovation.
So I am being very Biased here but if you asked most people in the know if they would pick Michigan for $7,000/year for engineering… I don’t think it would be close. The facilities alone are world class then look at the list of Professors.
@momofboiler1 what do you have to say about Chemical engineering here?
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My vote would also go to UM.
In terms of shaving off 2 years, I don’t see how that’s possible for chemical engineering. There are too many fundamental classes that are prerequisites for the next in the series. And chem e isn’t typically a large major so many times courses are only offered one semester and not both. OP - be sure you really understand the course sequencing for your required classes and I would be very very careful about making financial decisions based on graduating early.
While not at Michigan, my D started at Purdue as a second semester sophomore based on AP/DE classes (one class shy of being a first semester junior) and the most she could have graduated early was 1 semester. And she chose not to so she could finish her concentration and research.
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My son came with 36 credits and took four years.
And often, like in my daughters case (non engineer), multiple credits net you the same class - so two or three classes only knock off one gen Ed. But sounds like OP has done the homework - at least at state -so maybe he’s been through the engineering course sequencing ?
Isn’t UMich offering you an almost-full ride? Heck, it’s probably the more valuable offering given it’s greater price, even if you compared in state to in state or oos to oos.
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Fit and overall experience are just as important as a strong academic program. We’ve already established that the latter can be achieved at both NCSU & UM and after reading your posts, there’s little doubt that you’d be highly successful graduating from either program. You’ve also indicated numerous times that both are affordable for your family.
That brings us to best fit. You’ve expressed that having participated in various programs at NCSU in high school, there are things you don’t like about the campus experience. This should not be discounted, nor should you have to “suck it up” in favor of a full ride (congrats, btw), especially since the merit/need you received at UM is also impressive. It’s not as if you are comparing the full ride to NCSU with an OOS rack rate at UM (in which case, I would probably be on the “suck it up” bandwagon).
Another issue that shouldn’t be discounted is your comment about the type of industries and employment opportunities in RTP, which don’t interest you, as well as the competition from Duke (UNC doesn’t have chemical engineering).
At this point, I think we’re splitting hairs on strength of program, university name recognition and cost (again, according to you both are affordable). Go with your heart or your gut - you’ll find success in either program.
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These are uncertain economic times. A full ride is a gift.
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If it’s only the financial piece that’s giving you pause (and it sounds like you do prefer UMich) then take a look at what you might be able to contribute by working over the summers. My kid made over $5k last summer lifeguarding. Yup, he worked a lot, but that’s a bulk of what the difference between your two options is.
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What is holding me back is more so that I liked the community of the scholarship program I got at NC State and understand the perks I have received through it (mentoring, professional development, etc.) also mean something. The idea of being a “big fish in a smaller pond” sounds somewhat comforting to some degree, but I understand that it could be more limiting in the long run. There is also this sense of settling with going to NC State that I’ve been trying to get rid, but have been struggling to do so.
If I had not received the scholarship program at NC State, I would have probably already made a decision not to attend, and I have expressed some of the reasons why. Without that specific scholarship, it would technically be more expensive to go to NC State than UM at this point.
What I am trying to determine is more so if the extra costs (albeit manageable costs) are worth going to UM instead anyway. I got generous aid from there which I understand is not very common, so I do see value in that too. If I had been given an unrealistic cost of attending, we would obviously not be having this conversation. I think someone else pointed out that they would be giving me more money than NC State in the long run even with the full ride and that is true.
I gave you UM career stats - reposted - $81K average.
Ask NC State theirs - they just give an engineering #. Everyone assumes prestige means better outcomes - not necessarily. Most jobs pay by location.
Go where you feel best - there’s Ga Tech kids that can’t find jobs and Lamar grads that hit home runs.
So if you strongly feel a pull toward one, then great!! You want to be happy.
Good luck.
These are very significant perks.
Nevertheless, it seems clear that you want to attend the University of Michigan and , if you do not, that you will hold a sense of regret/missing out/buyer’s remorse.
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Go with your gut . . . and don’t question it. 
I think you can create similar opportunities for yourself at UM, they just wouldn’t be automatically handed to you like they would be through your scholarship award at NCSU. Joining professional clubs, seeking out leadership positions, finding a faculty mentor, pursuing early internship opportunities, etc. These things are available to every student at every university, it just takes effort on the student’s part.
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